This invention relates to devices for dispersing fuel and more particularly relates to fuel agitating devices commonly used for improving burning efficiency of internal combustion engines.
Originally, internal combustion engines burned at relatively low efficiency causing exhaust of numerous pollutants, e.g. unburned hydrocarbons, low valence nitrogen oxides, such as NO, and carbon monoxide. Such inefficient burning also resulted in wasted fuel, increasing cost and unnecessarily depleting petroleum reserves. Within the last few decades, the importance of increasing fuel efficiency has been recognized. As a result, engines have been developed that operate at higher temperatures, that use computer control of fuel air mixes, both of which have dramatically increased fuel efficiency. In addition, after burning devices have been utilized to reduce pollutants, e.g. in the form of catalytic converters. The result has been a dramatic decrease in pollution from internal combustion engines despite an increase in internal combustion engine use.
Despite the above advances, fuel burning efficiency is still not perfect and there remains significant room for improvement.
Devices that have recently been used to increase burning efficiency are devices that agitate fuel just prior to entry into the cylinder of an internal combustion engine for combustion. Such devices, e.g. as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,069,191 and 5,148,794, have shown promise in increasing fuel burning efficiency, but for several reasons have not been universally adopted. One drawback is that they have been complicated and expensive to manufacture. For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,191, a complicated grooved insert within a chamber and a complex flanged member requiring alternate ridges and grooves are required. The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,794 is even more complex. Both of these devices also use a complex, multipart machined housing structure. Despite their complexity, these devices have still not provided improvement in efficiency and reduction in exhaust pollutants as great as desired.